Princess Kate started being known as the Princess of Wales in 2022, following the death of the late Queen. She was the first royal to hold the title since her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, with Queen Camilla instead being the Duchess of Cornwall before her husband ascended to the throne.
The Prince or Princess of Wales title is typically held by their heir to the throne and their spouse.
William and Kate took the titles on 9 September 2022, a day after the late Queen's death with Charles saying: "Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.
"With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground, where vital help can be given."
However, Kate was initially reluctant to take on the title, with the Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers writing about the royal's hesitation in his new book, William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story.
In the book, Russell explained: "The last Princess of Wales had been William's mother, Diana, and courtiers said that while Catherine had a full appreciation of the history associated with the role, she was determined to find her own path.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via Get"But Catherine had also privately expressed to William and to Charles her reservations about taking over the title, conscious of the British public's exceptional feeling for, and connection to, Princess Diana even 25 years after her death. 'This tells you how considered she is,' said a former senior aide to both William and Catherine.
"'She is benevolent with her intentions, but also wishes to carve out her own role for both herself and her family, which in many ways looks very different to how generations of royals have acted in the past. She is very aware the pace that she wants to progress and the way in which she sees her future role within the institution, and I think when she was convinced to take the title on, and there was a bit of convincing, she felt that while there would be inevitable comparisons with Diana, she could manage it in her own way while having full respect for the way Diana carved out a very different role for herself within the royal family.'"
Previous concerns
In 2024, Robert Jobson's biography on the royal also spoke about Kate's reluctance to be known as the Princess of Wales, saying that the prospect of assuming the title "held little appeal".
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesRobert also wrote that Kate considered in following in Camilla's footsteps and instead being known as the Duchess of Cornwall. However, when the moment came, Kate did step up to the role.
"Enough time had passed to make the title more palatable, and Catherine had been on the world stage long enough to be appreciated for her own qualities," Robert wrote.
